Causes of Academic Oral Presentation Difficulties Faced by Students at a Polytechnic in Sarawak

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to identify the causes of oral presentation difficulties encountered by the students at a polytechnic in Sarawak. It also examines the differences in the causes of difficulties in academic oral presentation faced by the engineering and commerce students. The total number of respondents who participated in this study was 223. Questionnaires and interviews were used to collect data from the respondents. The information gathered from the questionnaires was then analysed using descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (independent samples t-test). The interviews were then transcribed and coded. Based on the results, the main cause of oral presentation difficulties faced by the students was lack of practice. Moreover, the researcher found there were significant differences between engineering and commerce students in the causes of oral presentation difficulties such as psychological factors, lack of practice and role of teacher(s). For example, the engineering students were less prepared than the commerce students when dealing with oral presentations probably because engineering students focused more on their engineering subjects that involved engineering projects, which needed much of their time and efforts. It is hoped that the findings of this study would enable the lecturers to have a better understanding of how to prepare and train the students well in oral presentation skills before they enter the working world.